Former Human Rights Commissioner (1995-2009)

 

APPOINTMENT

• In February 1996, he was sworn in as one of eleven commissioners for South Africa. The first commission was appointed by President Mandela after the nominations were approved by a seventy-five percent majority in Parliament.

• He was then reappointed by President Mbeki in 2002 for a second and last term.

• In 2005, he was seconded to the Commissioner to act as a full time Commissioner

• After serving two terms, he stepped down as the constitution only permits a person to serve two terms.

FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES

• In his capacity as a Human Rights Commissioner, he heard appeals and had written many awards on behalf of the Commission, mediated matters, given advisory opinions, litigated and delivered seminars on human rights to a variety of audiences in different parts of the country. 

• He has also appeared before various Parliamentary Portfolio Committees on a number of issues.

• In 2005, he trained Magistrates and judges on the provisions of the Promotion of Equality and Prohibition of Unfair Discrimination Act. 

Internationally:

1. he addressed parliamentarians in Ethiopia,
2. travelled twice to Bangkok to address various role-players and made a presentation to a committee of the Thai Senate and Minister of Justice on the requirements of a Human Rights Commission Act
3. addressed Fijian lawyers on how to operate and interpret a Bill of Rights
4. explained the operations of the SA Human Rights Commission at the inauguration of the commission  in Malawi
5. addressed judges and magistrates, as part of a training workshop in Lesotho.

• In 2007, he was invited by the Indian Government to make presentations on various aspects of the South African Constitution in Kathmandu, Nepal to the various parties negotiating a new Nepalese constitution.

• At the request of Minister Sydney Mufamadi, he sat as part of an independent panel set up to advise the national government on persons to be appointed to the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities.

• He is regularly requested by national radio and TV to comment on constitutional and administrative issues. He was engaged by the SABC to work as an analyst during the 1999 elections and re-engaged for the municipal elections of 2000 and the national elections of 2004 and 2009. He has also chaired political debates hosted by the SABC during various elections.